First Loves and Last Loves
by blue artemis
Summary: Ron learns the difference between being someone's first love and someone's last love.
1. Chapter 1

"Where's the blasted dingdong thingy again?" A voice could be heard from the hallway, muttering something that sounded vaguely like 'strange Muggle contraptions'."

_Ding __dong__!_ Ron finally found the doorbell to Hermione's flat.

He grinned when he saw his girlfriend, hair in more disarray than usual, answer the door in her pajamas. "Late night, love?"

"Severus sent an owl with a few suggestions for my combined magic project, and I just had to try them."

"You wouldn't be my Hermione if you hadn't. I'm guessing they were good suggestions?" Ron ducked his head and grinned.

"I'm just about there. You know, you are good at seeing the big picture; would you be willing to see if you think I'm missing anything?" Hermione's earnest look was endearing.

"You bet, 'Mione. I swear you are the only person I know who thinks I have a brain."

"I can't be, Ronald. There was a spare parchment in the letter with a few insults and your next chess move."

Ron smiled wryly and shook his head. _I__ still __can__'__t __believe __I__'__m __half__-__way __civil __with __Snape__, __of __all __people__. __But __then __again__, __I__ would __do __just __about __anything __for __Hermione__. _He thought back to a few incidents, where he realized that Snape was going to be a permanent fixture in their lives.

**_The__ Shrieking__ Shack__, __immediately __following __the __battle__..._**

"We have to get his body, Ron, before someone does something to it!" Hermione shrieked over her shoulder as she ran from the Great Hall.

"OK, 'Mione. If you say so. I don't think he deserves it, but Harry had those eyes, and you... I'm going to help, no matter what I think." Ron had too much on his mind to speak coherently.

He rushed into the shack, only to find Hermione casting a stasis spell.

"Hermione, it is a preservation spell for a body, not a stasis spell." Ron figured it might be one of those Muggle-born errors.

"He's not dead, Ron! Merlin, I hope we aren't too late... Ron, go get Harry; we need to protect Snape!" Hermione was frantically trying to figure out the best way to help the fallen headmaster.

Ron nodded, not that Hermione noticed, and then he turned to lope back toward the castle. His long legs had him reaching the Great Hall very quickly. "Harry! HARRY!"

"What is it, Ron?" His mother came toward him, a very worried look on her face.

Ron just shook his head at her. "HAAAARRRRYYYYY!" The dead could have heard that shout.

Harry burst through the doors, his clothes in disarray, his hair messier than usual. Ron did not want to think of what he may have interrupted. "Harry, Snape is alive. Hermione made me go back to get his body, but she says he's alive, and she wanted me to get you for protection or something."

The look of utter relief on Harry's face made Ron feel far less guilty about bothering him. "Let's go!"

**_St__. __Mungo__'__s__, __a __few __weeks __following__..._**

"Hermione, I don't know why you keep going to see the greasy git. He doesn't appreciate you!" Ron hated these visits. But he wasn't going to let Hermione go alone if he could help it.

"He's not greasy. Anyway, he needs a friendly face, Ron. Harry has adopted him against his will, Minerva and the rest of the staff at Hogwarts can't talk to him without bursting into tears, and he's helping me figure out my self-study program." Ron couldn't help but smile. _At __least __she__ didn__'__t __tell __me __to __call __him__ Professor __Snape__._

"Does that particular Weasley you saddle yourself with have any expression other than grinning dolt?" Severus Snape's voice cut into Ron's reverie.

"Just because you do not appreciate Ronald does not mean he is a dolt, Professor." Hermione was as polite as she could be, considering she was basically talking back.

Ron was waiting for Snape to rip Hermione's head off and was surprised when all he did was wave his hand at her dismissively.

"What instrument of torture did you bring me this time, Miss Granger?"

Ron was surprised to realize that Snape sounded... _eager_. He decided he had to play closer attention.

"My father went to a boot sale and found some flashlights that power up when you shake them; they use magnets instead of traditional batteries. He gave me one to play with, as he said, and I found that I could get it to hold a powering charm!" Hermione smiled brilliantly, pleased with her work.

"And what use would I have for a flashlight? There is adequate lighting here."

Ron thought Severus was far too snide, considering he and Hermione were his only friendly visitors without an agenda.

Hermione cocked her head and considered the man in the bed before her; apparently she saw something in his face that made her grin. "Oh, you. Now do you want to hear what I came up with, or would you like to snark at me some more? I can always just take it home with me again."

Ron was gobsmacked to see a wry upward quirk of Snape's lip at Hermione's flippant remark. He would have expected him to fling his water at her and demand she leave, the way he did to Harry when he said something the man found distasteful.

"Fine, you insolent girl. Tell me what amazing bit of magic you have wrought on my behalf."

Hermione graced Snape with one of her beautiful, room-lighting smiles. "I decided to see if I could use one of those magnet-powered set ups to work with a portable CD player, and I was successful. I brought it for you, with a selection of music. I have Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovski, a few operas, and some rock from the early 1970s, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, the Who and a few more. Do you want to see how it works?"

"If you must, Miss Granger."

Even Ron could see the anticipation in the git's face.

"You use _Incipio_ to start it, and _Finite_ to stop it. Just open the top and place the disc here, with the shiny side down, and if you decide you want the disc to play in random order, just... "

"Say _Diripio_. I see the pattern." After studying the machine and the discs of music, Snape turned to Hermione, "Well done, Miss Granger."

Hermione practically skipped out of the hospital that day, Ron remembered. She had a similar look now, thinking of the suggestions for her combined magic project.

"'Mione, what are you going to do with your project once you are done?" Ron was curious.

"I'm going to sell it, and see what companies are interested in other things, like my portable CD player that I gave Snape. Malfoy Industries has shown an interest, as have a couple of others. I can make a lot of money, doing research and coming up with new things to bring the Wizarding World out of the dark ages without harming traditions." Hermione smiled up at him.

"What happened to the girl who crusaded for the rights of the house-elves?" Ron asked jokingly.

"She figured out it will be far easier to change everyone's mind if she's associated with a pureblood company and has lots and lots of money to throw around. Now, do you want to see the project or not?" Hermione turned and wiggled her rump at him as she walked away from him into her laboratory.

Ron watched her walk away, appreciating the view, then followed.

He walked into a room that would give his father paroxysms of pleasure. There were cables and bits of electronics everywhere. One looked like a telly-visor with a keyboard attached, and there was one he was certain was a felly-tone, but much smaller than he was used to... There were actually many of those.

"I'm guessing the felly-tones are your project?"

"See, Ron, you _are_ smart."

An unexpected voice broke in saying, "Just because he can state the obvious does not make him intelligent, Hermione."

"I didn't hear you come in, Snape," said Ron.

"I've been here most of the night, Weasley, didn't Hermione mention my presence?"

Ron decided not to jump at the obvious bait.

In an almost disappointed tone, Snape continued, "It's always a delight to speak to a lovely, intelligent witch, especially when she has a revolutionary idea."

Ron was astounded when he realized Snape meant what he said; it couldn't be to get into Hermione's good graces, she was too far away to hear him.

"I see." Ron then turned to Hermione and asked, "Hermione, love, what did you want me to look at?"

"Here, Ron. I've figured out the battery and the satellite signals, but what do you think of the set up?" She handed Ron a rather traditional flip phone.

Ron opened the phone, poked at the numbers and frowned.

"Hermione, do you need to have the numbers? Will they be assigned? Or does the magic just use each felly-tone to identify the person who holds it? Can they be personalized?" Ron didn't like the numbers. He was used to the Floo, where you just had to call out the home or person.

"That's it, Ron! Oh, you are such a darling man!" Hermione rushed over and gave him a hug and a kiss... on the cheek. Ron was very aware of Snape's sardonic gaze. He shook it off.

"I'm glad I could help, 'Mione."

"I know what to do now. It shouldn't take too long to charm them. Do you want to go out and celebrate after?"

Ron saw the pained look on Snape's face and, oddly, didn't feel too horribly triumphant. "I'm sorry, 'Mione, I'm doing an interview with Luna tonight." He had a sudden inspiration. "Why don't you go out with Snape?"

Hermione turned hopeful eyes on Severus, who nodded tentatively. Hermione then bustled out of the room, presumably to get her wand.

"What the fuck are you about, Weasley?"

"Just seeing if I'm right about something, Snape."

Ron almost laughed at the confused look on Severus's face. "Confusion is not a good look on you, Snape. You look constipated."

The familiar sneer he got in response gave Ron quite a bit of satisfaction.


	2. Chapter 2

"What the bloody hell was I thinking? I'm handing her to him on a silver platter. Bugger being an adult."

"You've never outgrown talking to yourself, have you, Ronald?" Ron looked up to see Luna smiling at him from the top step.

"That made perfect sense, Luna. You aren't going to say it is due to what-sits?"

"What-sits only bother people who have rot-crotch. If you prefer, the Nargles are swarming you."

_Rot-crotch?_ Ron shook his head. _I turned down Hermione and threw her at Snape for this?_

"I made a roast goose. Are you interested?" Luna's beguiling voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

"With spring onions and those tuber things you make?" Ron forgot his misgivings in the face of good food.

The two sat down to dinner. After a few perfunctory questions, Luna asked, "Why were you talking to yourself, Ron?"

"I chose to come here, knowing you would be willing to reschedule, and told Hermione to go on her celebratory dinner with Snape. I don't even like the git."

"Why?"

"Because she lights up when she talks about him, Luna. We are happy, we can go for a long time, and there will always be a niggling little voice that says we settled, that there was more out there for us."

Ron was surprised when he got a lapful of Luna. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You are a good man, Ronald Weasley. It takes a big heart to admit that you are someone's first love but not their last." She gave him a kiss on the nose, then hopped off his lap.

"I have this lovely gooseberry pie I made. Why don't we take it over to Hermione's for dessert?"

Ron nodded.

* * *

><p>They arrived at Hermione's flat and pressed the doorbell. "Ooh, I love this! What a beautiful chime!"<p>

Ron looked at Hermione over Luna's head when she opened the door, catching her eye and giving her a bemused look.

"Chime is a much better thing to call it than dingdong thingy!" Hermione said, then laughed. "Come in! How did the interview go?"

Ron decided to let Luna talk. "It went really well. I've learned so much about Ronald. He's grown up well, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do." Hermione looked at her boyfriend straight in the eye. "You aren't the only one who has learned things tonight."

"Hermione, can I see your new creation? I've heard you aren't only going to attain your Mastery, but that you are going to revolutionize the way the wizarding world communicates."

"Ron's been spilling the beans, has he?" Hermione did her best to imitate Professor McGonagall's pursed lip look.

"He only spilled some pumpkin juice. The rest was just friendly conversation." The girls walked away, deep in conversation. Ron watched Hermione make silly faces, then laugh at whatever it was Luna said.

"They are lovely, aren't they?" Ron jumped when Snape's voice came out of nowhere.

He turned to look at the oddly mellow man. "Yes, they're beautiful." Ron then took a deep breath and spoke. "How did dinner go?"

"I believe you and Hermione will be having quite the conversation this evening." Snape had a satisfied look on his face. "I kissed her. Nothing more, but it seemed to give her the impetus to make a decision. I had told her that I believed you sent us out together this evening."

"Why would you tell her? I would have thought you would have spun that to your advantage, Snape."

"The two of you seem happy together. I wonder why_ you_ would do such a thing."

"Because I love her, and I want her to be happy and never have regrets or wonder what if."

Ron was surprised when he got an armful of sobbing brunette. Snape and Luna quietly took their leave and closed the door behind them.

* * *

><p>Ron was surprised when the first thing Hermione said was "Luna has a crush on you."<p>

Ron chuckled. "That is the last thing I would have expected you to say, love."

"I know. But you can't be the only one breaking all expectations." Hermione smiled.

"Hmmm."

"What is going on, Ron? Aren't we good together?"

"We are wonderful, Hermione. But I don't make you light up anymore. When you realized you had your solution, you hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. And I saw the rest of our lives, and it was good, but it wasn't great or passionate. Just because the war drained us doesn't mean we have to settle for content."

Ron was startled to see tears falling from Hermione's eyes. "And you say I'm the only one who thinks you are smart?" Hermione said through her tears. "Trust me, I'm not. But, why Severus?"

"So many things, Hermione. The way you would talk to him in the hospital, and he would just snark at you and egg you on. You would get all bouncy and excited to see him, usually to talk to him about something that was entirely beyond me and show off what you were creating. Then after he went home, you would find all sorts of excuses to see him or call him." Ron saw that Hermione was about to interrupt, so he put his index finger up to her lips. "It wasn't romantic, love. I know you loved me and that you still love me, but that spark that lights you up is there with Snape, not with me."

"We _are_ good together, you know that." Hermione was starting to get angry.

"Yes, we are, in so many ways. But we aren't amazing, and I think you could be amazing with Snape. I just want you to be happy, Hermione."

"You are my first love, Ron."

"And I always will be. And you will always be mine. But I think we are both meant for different last loves."

Hermione threw her arms around her best friend, her first love and kissed him. When she backed off with a confused look, Ron smiled wistfully.

"His kiss was more, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."


	3. Chapter 3

Ron stood at the center of the circle of stones, next to the altar. _She's so amazingly beautiful. I'm so lucky to have her in my life._ He was riveted by the sight of Hermione Granger in her wedding dress, headed straight for him. He leaned over to Severus and commented, "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"

"Stunning. Absolutely stunning."

Ron looked at the man when his voice caught and realized just how in love he was, it was evidenced in his eyes and the way his body leaned toward the witch walking down the aisle, his impatience barely constrained.

Ron's smile confused a few of the guests; most would have believed him to be very upset at the whole thing. He almost laughed out loud when he heard someone whisper very loudly, "He must be under Imperius. There is no way he would have agreed to be the best man otherwise."

He did laugh, when Severus, who had heard the same thing said, "He forgot the fact that I Crucioed you into wearing the dress robes and Avada Kedavraed your favorite owl."

Ron saw the question in Hermione's eyes, and shook his head slightly. It would be bad luck for the bride to hex the daylights out of her wedding guests.

He remembered the first awkward meeting after Hermione and Snape started dating: he and Harry had run into the couple at Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor, which had been re-opened by Seamus Finnegan after the war. Ron had noticed the way Snape had squeezed her hand reassuringly when Harry had made the mistake of questioning Hermione's integrity in dating Snape so quickly after she and Ron had broken up; conveniently throwing in the fact that he had caught Luna sneaking out of Grimmauld Place early in the morning. Both Ron and Snape had winced at the look on Hermione's face and realized they were going to have to help her when she went for her wand. When Severus stepped back and subtly cast a perimeter ward to protect the other customers, Ron had cast a silencing spell. Hermione had then lambasted Harry for being a two-faced, double-standard-holding moron who couldn't find adulthood with a map. She then waved her wand at him and every piece of equipment that Hermione had designed exploded. The cell phone deep in Harry's front trouser pocket had done the most damage. When the fireworks ended, Ron recalled the first salvo in his and Snape's odd friendship, when Snape's deep voice intoned, "You may join us for afters, Weasley, after you dump your companion at St. Mungo's. We have a chess game to finish; Hermione needs some time to write up some sales proposals."

That was the first time the two men had spent some time together when one or the other of their witches was busy, but it certainly wasn't the last. Snape had helped Ron with his idea for a private security company, based on some of Hermione's creations and created a new morning-sickness potion for Luna when he discovered she couldn't take the traditional one due to an allergy to dandelion milk.

Ron remembered the way Snape had looked the day Hermione had dressed up to accompany him to a function at the Malfoy's. He and Luna had gone over to provide moral support; it was the first time she was returning to the manor since the time she had been tortured there. Snape's look of awe at his witch, resplendent in her ball gown, had done more for her nerves than Ron and Luna's best attempt at comedic relief. _He has that same gob-smacked look on his face today._

He remembered the couple's first argument, and the way Hermione had run to him and Luna for comfort when Snape had stalked out. Followed shortly by Snape, who had returned rather quickly and figured out where she was almost immediately. He remembered trying not to overhear them voice their self-recriminations, as well as Snape's laughter when Luna told them that Wrackspurts were most easily done away with by sincere apologies and long kisses.

He watched them fall in love, his theory proven the day Malfoy Industries gave Hermione the most lucrative research and development contract the British wizarding world had ever known. She had practically flown out of the Floo and into Snape's arms, kissing him passionately. Ron had looked up from the chessboard and smiled ruefully. _I only ever got those celebratory kisses on the cheek..._ "Oi, get a room!"

He thought about their double dates in the most random places, looking for potions ingredients and rare creatures. _They were always fun, though. And Snape is great at getting Hermione out of the way when the great outdoors gets Luna a bit randy._

Snape had been the one to recommend him to the National Quidditch League when they started to broadcast their games on the wizard-vision sets Hermione had created. Ron now held the senior broadcaster position, and he loved it. But whenever he tried to thank Snape, he was never allowed. "I cannot ever repay you, Weasley. Don't make me feel bad."

Ron hadn't known what to say when Snape and Hermione had asked him and Luna to stand for them at their wedding. Luna's enthusiastic response was followed by a long silence. Ron chuckled as he remembered Snape's response to that. "Bloody hell, Hermione, I told you this would break him. Molly is going to kill me and serve me for next Sunday's dinner." Ron choked at the thought of Snape stew, and after he stopped coughing he accepted.

_Here I am, watching my first love marry her last love; and I couldn't be happier._ He looked over at Luna, holding their son in her arms and beamed at her. He turned back to see his first love, wrapped in the arms of her new husband. _There is something to be said for being someone's _last_ love, isn't there?_

* * *

><p>Shortly after the wedding, as the guests were moving from the standing stones toward the Great Hall for the feast and dance, Ron was accosted by Harry.<p>

"What the bloody hell did you do to get to be his best man? Did you Imperio him?"

Ron just shook his head and kept walking. He had promised Luna not to punch anyone if he could help it. He saw Luna moving quickly to intercept them.

Harry turned and saw Luna coming, then whirled back and grabbed Ron by the arm, stopping him cold. "You bastard, you KNOW he's the only link I have to my mother, and you took him away from me! I didn't have a woman to give hi-"

Ron blinked as he realized that the punch that had rather effectively stopped the bizarre rant from his best friend had come from his wife.

He stared wide-eyed at his diminutive love, who was standing there, legs spread slighly, arms akimbo, ready to fight.

He saw the bride and groom walk up to them, hand in hand.

"What in the world happened, Ron?"

Hermione was concerned, so Ron thought quickly. "I think Harry got into the firewhiskey early." It was as good an excuse as any.

"I really want to know, Ron. What did you do to get Snape to like you?" Harry demanded.

"That is easy, Potter; he grew up."


End file.
